Chapter 80 : Imperial Capital (4)
Ariel walked steadily forward, her steps echoing through the silence.
Behind her, Belmont followed cautiously, stealing glances at her every now and then.
‘Should I run away…?’ Belmont hesitated, debating his next move.
The duel contract was still in his possession.
If he tore it up, the duel would be void, and he could escape without facing the empire’s laws.
‘I can’t be a slave to some kid…’
Despite having his Spin Breaker reduced to dust, Belmont was a skilled mercenary.
He could always find a new sword and continue honing his rotating swordsmanship, eventually making a name for himself in the mercenary world.
He was young, with a bright future ahead of him.
‘Tear up the contract, hide somewhere, and lie low for a while. Then, I can rejoin the mercenary guild…’
Just then, Ariel stopped walking, still holding the broken Ragnarok in her arms.
“Wh-What?”
Belmont stammered, caught off guard.
Just as he was contemplating escape, Ariel suddenly halted, giving him a start.
For a moment, he even wondered if she had some strange ability to read minds.
But Ariel had stopped for a different reason.
“Where’s the armory?” she asked.
“What?”
Belmont let out a sigh of disbelief.
She had been striding ahead without even knowing where she was going? He wanted to scold her for it.
“…There are many armories. This is the capital, after all. Each shop varies in skill and price. If you’re just going to fix that toy of yours…”
“Is there a place with a dwarf?” she asked.
“A dwarf? There’s one near the center of the capital. But it’s really expensive, and the dwarf there has a nasty temper. People like us would probably just get insulted and thrown out. Although, to be fair, he is known to be skilled…”
“Let’s go there.”
With a small sigh Belmont took the lead.
For now, he had no choice but to go along with this kid’s whims.
Escaping would have to wait for another time.
This elven kid was incredibly quick on her feet—she’d easily dodged all of Belmont’s attacks earlier. Running would just get him caught again.
Besides she was absurdly strong.
Breaking Spin Breaker with her bare hands? He’d never seen anyone do that before.
‘Did I mess with the wrong person…?’
It wasn’t just her speed and strength; what shocked him more was that she could use magic.
That invisible force choking his neck earlier must have been telekinesis.
‘I must’ve been out of my mind…’
In his eagerness to acquire a young, cute slave, he had rashly challenged her to a duel.
If he had just teased her a little, he wouldn’t be in this mess.
‘No, it’ll be fine. There must be a way to escape…’
Belmont still clung to hope.
Despite her strength, Ariel seemed rather naive.
She’d handed over a gold coin to the gate guards and seemed unfamiliar with the capital’s layout.
Most importantly, even though the duel was over, she hadn’t asked for the contract.
Anyone else would’ve grabbed the contract the moment the duel ended to claim their opponent as a slave.
But Ariel seemed completely uninterested in the contract, focusing instead on that broken toy sword.
‘For now, let’s play along with this kid’s tune.’
Belmont resolved to go along and look for an opportunity to escape later.
After a while, they reached the capital’s center, where a massive cathedral loomed into view.
Its white spire towered against the blue sky, a golden dome shimmering atop it, with walls of pristine white marble.
It exuded an atmosphere of solemn reverence.
Not that it meant anything to Belmont.
As Belmont passed the cathedral entrance, Ariel suddenly stopped again, making him tilt his head in confusion.
She was narrowing her eyes, staring intently at the cathedral.
‘What’s she doing?’
It was hard to tell if she was deep in thought, utterly blank, or a bit serious.
Whatever it was, Ariel kept her gaze fixed on the cathedral for a long time.
‘Seems like she believes in God.’
Assuming she was praying, Belmont stood quietly by her side.
No matter how reckless he was, he wouldn’t dare interrupt the prayers of a kid strong enough to crush a sword with her bare hands.
People who believe in gods are usually dangerous. Among mercenaries, those who worship a god lose all reason if their faith is insulted.
Once, Belmont had sneered at a fellow mercenary who prayed nightly, hitting him on the back of the head and saying:
“Spend that time practicing your sword! God won’t protect you. He doesn’t even care about you! Gods are just excuses for the weak to lean on…”
Before he could finish, that mercenary had leapt up, foaming at the mouth, and attacked him.
Normally calm, the man had gone wild, screaming at Belmont through a bloodied face, “Belmont, you’ll face divine wrath!”
‘That guy’s eyes were totally crazed…’
Scenes like that weren’t uncommon in the mercenary world.
Mercenaries were known for their rough speech, and whenever one mocked another’s faith, the believer would retaliate like a madman.
Looking at Ariel, Belmont thought she might be one of them too.
Even though she wasn’t human, here she was, standing before the human empire’s grand cathedral. Belmont didn’t want to disturb her.
If she turned on him, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Forget handling it—his skull would shatter to dust, just like his Spin Breaker.
‘Maybe I should pretend to pray, too…’
He closed his eyes, feigning reverence. Maybe, if he acted pious, Ariel would spare him later.
Meanwhile, Ariel was seriously contemplating how to bring the Saintess out.
She saw two options.
One was to break through the cathedral walls, shatter the magic barriers, overpower the holy knights, and abduct the Saintess using a teleportation scroll.
Simple and straightforward.
But the Saintess might refuse to cooperate with healing Lakia’s mother.
Besides Ariel would end up on the empire’s wanted list, constantly hunted.
While her life wouldn’t be in danger, it would be an annoying complication.
The second option was to infiltrate the cathedral quietly and persuade the Saintess to use the teleportation scroll.
This way, she wouldn’t have to break any walls or fight the holy knights, and she wouldn’t be pursued by the empire.
If she persuaded the Saintess, she’d likely cooperate in healing Lakia’s mother.
Ariel decided on the second approach.
It seemed more practical.
But she’d have to wait until nightfall.
Looking around, Ariel saw Belmont standing there, eyes closed, apparently praying.
Feeling that she should respect his faith, Ariel decided to wait patiently.
Thus, the two stood in silence before the cathedral for a while.
*****
At the armory, Ariel and Belmont finally arrived.
Upon seeing the broken Ragnarok, the dwarf exploded in anger.
“Who made this pitiful junk? Look at this break! Who made this mess? And what’s with the handle? Is this supposed to be magic gear?”
The dwarf wore an incredulous expression.
“What a fool! Making this pathetic toy! It’s a waste of materials! That idiot needs a good smack to come to his senses!”
Ariel quietly averted her gaze.
“I don’t take garbage! Get out!” The dwarf tossed the broken Ragnarok aside.
Belmont, standing beside Ariel, tensed slightly.
‘This insane dwarf… You’re going to get yourself killed…!’
Though even Belmont could see that Ragnarok was indeed a terrible weapon, Ariel seemed attached to it, and tossing it like that was risky.
If Ariel got angry, the dwarf would be flattened like an insect.
This was why even the most skilled craftsman shouldn’t treat customers rudely—if you cross the wrong person, you might vanish from the continent without a trace.